ESA - not a disease

If you live in Iowa - you need to read this and take appropriate action.

You can click here if you want to skip right to it.  If you would rather read the blog first - by all means - go ahead, goat head.

Action Alert

 

Support HF 2090 - Education Savings Accounts!

House File 2090 would create Education Savings Accounts for students to attend nonpublic schools or homeschool.  The amount would be the average State per-pupil aid (~ $5,500 this year).  This bill passed out of subcommittee today and will now be considered by the entire House Education Committee.

The amount of each grant per student would be the average State per-pupil aid (~$5,500 this year).  These funds could be used for private school tuition & fees, some forms of private instruction, tutoring, educational therapies, special education needs, and other qualified expenses.

The bill includes multiple levels of fraud protection and does not add any regulations on nonpublic schools or homeschoolers.  If funds remain in the account when a child graduates high school, they could use those funds to attend an Iowa college or university.

Numerous studies have found that school choice programs improve academic outcomes for public and private school students.  There has never been a reputable study that has shown programs such as these have hurt public schools in any way.  Public schools will retain their basic property tax and local option sales tax revenues under this proposal.

We are home educators here - but even if we weren't we believe in the choice to be one if you want to be!  Make your voice heard, please.  

Thank You!

Home School Buyers Co-op

I've heard about this HomeSchool Co-op from a message board I frequent.  Several of my friends bought a "lego" buy.  They got a discounted price on Legos and got a BUNCH of them.  :)  So - I've joined... it's free to join... and I am looking forward to some bulk discounted buys... hoping to get some good birthday gifts that way.

One way to make this work is to spread the word to other home schoolers - increasing the buying power.  They say...

Home School Curriculum for Grades K-8 and High School
Howdy, homeschooler! You have just discovered what is probably the most important page on our website -- our summary of the many GroupBuys and special offers for home school curriculum, programs and material currently available through the Homeschool Buyers Co-op. Each and every discount is one of the Co-op's manyhomeschooling benefits. In every case, the discounts you get through the Co-op for your homeschool curriculum and materials come by virtue of the Co-op's purchasing power, which in turn depends on the size of our membership, so tell your homeschool friends and groups about the Co-op!

So - I am... spreading the word.  Go forth and conquer... or sign up.  What ever.

Snow Day

Tori had her first "snow day" yesterday.

The public schools were having a snow day - so I declared one at our house too.  The kiddos were thrilled, until I showed them the list.  LOL  They could have free time after the list.

It wasn't bad... each kid had a project.  They got them done in a hurry - ran out to play in the snow, and the wind blew them back indoors after not too long.

So they spent their "snow day" playing games and watching TV.

I got laundry folded, and caught up.  Baked bread that fell, and froze some cinnamon rolls.  I'm not sure what happened there... we'll see how those rolls end up.  They are for Christmas morning.  Dish washer was unloaded, then filled.  Only to needing to be filled again before the day was over.  :)  Why does that job seem so endless?  I mailed a box, and made some lunch.  I didn't get to the den book shelves, which have been written down on lists for so long, and never gets done.  Some day - I should write it down first, then STOP... so it will get done.

Today - another snow day for the public school system... but I want to end up this school week on an even note. (I don't want to start a fresh week after Christmas Vacation in the middle of a week).  So we are going to finish our week today... and start vacation tomorrow!!

Tori told her dad she had her first snow day in 17 years.  Dan said he'd never had a snow day.  Really? Wow... I remember snow days when I was a kid.  Maybe he lived in the south.